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Optimal child-led goal setting practices for school-aged children with a disability or delay : An international Delphi consensus study
Ryan, Aisling K. Miller, Laura Rose, Tanya A. Johnston, Leanne M.
Ryan, Aisling K.
Miller, Laura
Rose, Tanya A.
Johnston, Leanne M.
Abstract
Aim
To achieve expert consensus on optimal child-led goal setting and evaluation practices for school-aged children (5 ≤ 17 years) who have a disability or delay.
Method
A three-round, eDelphi consensus design was used. In Round 1, expert allied health professionals identified factors important during child-led goal setting for: (i) planning, (ii) process steps and tools, and (iii) support strategies. Factors were collated into items for Rounds 2 and 3. Participants rated item agreement on a 7-point Likert scale. Consensus was determined as ≥75% of participants in agreement or disagreement.
Results
Sixty professionals from nine countries and six disciplines participated. Of 323 unique items generated, 159 (50%) reached consensus. Strong agreement was reached for goal setting and evaluation “process steps” and “support strategies” to engage children. It was strongly recommended that allied health professionals should tailor their processes to each child’s individual needs, provide ability-specific strategies and resources, and empower children to share their perspectives. Fewer items reached consensus for “planning” and “tools” to guide child-led goal setting.
Interpretation
Professional experts agree that children can be actively involved in goal setting and evaluation. Future research should focus on tools and technologies to support child-led goal setting for children with diverse abilities.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
• Professionals agree that children should be involved in goal setting to the greatest extent possible.
• Children’s readiness to participate relates to their cognition, communication, social-emotional skills, and motivation.
• The goal setting process should be personalised and accessible for children.
• Child-specific tools are needed to support children to share their perspectives.
Keywords
Date
2024
Type
Journal article
Journal
Disability and Rehabilitation
Book
Volume
Issue
Page Range
1-9
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Allied Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File Access
Open
Notes
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.